Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T19:12:36.461Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Sexual and Gender Identities

from Part II - Identities and Diversity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2024

Sonja J. Ellis
Affiliation:
University of Waikato, New Zealand
Damien W. Riggs
Affiliation:
Flinders University of South Australia
Elizabeth Peel
Affiliation:
Loughborough University
Get access

Summary

This chapter provides an overview of theory and research in relation to identity development, coming out, and connecting with LGBTIQ communities. An introduction to – and critique of – stage model approaches to conceptualising sexuality and gender is provided, alongside an overview of how people come to understand their sexuality and gender. The complexities of sexual identity are exploredfrom the increasing use of plurisexual identity labels (e.g., pansexual, polysexual, queer) to the popularisation of public displays of suggestive lesbian acts and the heteroflexible ‘girl crush’. The process of identifying as trans and navigating transitioning is also discussed. Next, the chapter focuses on the disclosure of LGBTIQ identities through a review of research focusing on ‘coming out’ to families and friends, responses to disclosure, and the (often) strategic choice not to disclose. The final section of this chapter focuses on the ways in which LGBTIQ people find community, with a particular focus on the increasing use of online spaces. Some of the challenges of accessing these spaces and/or axes of exclusion experienced by some LGBTIQ people are also discussed.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Further Reading

Bockting, W. O. (2014). Transgender identity development. In Tolman, D. L., Diamond, L. M., Bauermeister, J. A., George, W. H., Pfaus, J. G., & Ward, L. M. (Eds.), APA handbook of sexuality and psychology, vol. 1: Person-based approaches (pp. 739758). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, L. M., & Butterworth, M. (2008). Questioning gender and sexual identity: Dynamic links over time. Sex Roles, 59, 365376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jadwin-Cakmak, L. A., Pingel, E. S., Harper, G. W., & Bauermeister, J. A. (2015). Coming out to dad: Young gay and bisexual men’s experiences disclosing same-sex attraction to their fathers. American Journal of Men’s Health, 9(4), 274288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz-Wise, S. L., & Todd, K. P. (2022). The current state of sexual fluidity research. Current Opinion in Psychology, 48, 101497.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schimmel-Bristow, A., Haley, S. G., Crouch, J. M., Evans, Y. N., Ahrens, K. R., McCarty, C. A., & Inwards-Breland, D. J. (2018). Youth and caregiver experiences of gender identity transition: A qualitative study. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 5(2), 273281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shale, E. (Ed.). (1999). Inside out: An Australian collection of coming out stories. Melbourne: Bookman Press.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×